Please Bee Kind

The last time I was stung by a bee/stinging insect, Jimi Hendrix was still alive and Seattle had a baseball team that wasn’t the Mariners.

Until yesterday – Jeez, that hurts! Was going about 20 mph and the thing flew into my collar, left his little venomous, barbed treat for me and then died a swift and painless death by my panicked hand. It had been so long I was afraid I might be allergic, but no, just pissed.

I think my last bee sting was in about the same era as your previous one, though I’ve had a few unnerving close calls with bees flying into helmet vents and getting stuck between scalp and styrofoam. Can’t help with the first aid, sorry

Try making a thick paste of baking soda and water then apply it to the sting and let it dry. You might see some discharge (or not) and the pain and swelling should ease. Do this every time the sting gets sore or itchy. Hope this helps.

I was stung by a bee for the first time since childhood a few years back and it was no big deal. The next time I was stung, I had quite a big reaction: swollen ankle for a few days till I got steroids. Apparently this is not uncommon so watch out for the next one.

As a beekeeper I have had a lot of stings. Your other correspondents are all correct with their various potions. The bee sting is acid so any alkali will neutralise it. Make sure you remove the stinger and venom sack first. Even though it has detached from the honey bee the venom sack will keep pumping venom for a long time. With wasp and hornet stings there is no venom sack to remove. These evil bug(gers) give you the full dose all at once.